Southland Motorists To Experience Temporary Hike In Gas Prices
HOLLYWOOD (CBSLA.com) — Southland motorists should expect an increase in gas prices after refinery issues in Northern California.
Hikes could be between 10 and 20 cents per gallon over the next few weeks due to reduced supply, according to authorities.
The reduction was caused by the partial closure of Chevron's Richmond refinery after it experienced flaring and a strike at Tesoro's oil refinery in Martinez.
The ExxonMobil refinery in Torrance also continues to remain closed after an explosion in February. The state received 10 percent of its gasoline supply from that refinery.
The average price of a gallon of self-serve regular gasoline in Los Angeles and Orange counties was $3.48, which is nearly 30 cents higher than last week.
Allison Mac, a petroleum analyst with GasBuddy.com said the increases should be temporary.
"The margin of error here in California is very very small. Anytime there is a refinery issue, we can see prices go up," she said.
Despite the recent hikes, prices are 80-90 cents below what they were in April 2014.
To find the cheapest prices in your area, check out CBSLA's Pump Patrol here.